


The Universe According to Cisco Ramon

by darringtons



Series: Queer Studies in Central City [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Asexual Barry, Demisexuality, F/M, Gender Identity, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON QUALITY COMMUNICATION, M/M, Pansexual Cisco Ramon, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Queer Themes, Questioning, Trans Character, Trans Lisa Snart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 15:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10700235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darringtons/pseuds/darringtons
Summary: “How long have you known you liked boys?”





	The Universe According to Cisco Ramon

College was a time for experimenting, for figuring oneself out, determining what you liked and what didn’t work. The thing was… Cisco had known he liked boys for years before he got to university. He likes girls too, of course. He’s an equal-opportunist.

Still, it’s nice being around a variety of open minded and queer leaning individuals. There was a whole social club for people like him to gather en mass (someone had jokingly called them quiltbag, but the name stuck) It certainly was easier to find a date when you know a whole group of people who are already out.

 

Stella Rae thought she was straight when she asked him out. She had never even considered anything else. But after a couple months with her, Cisco’s not sure she’s actually into him. He invites her to join him at the quiltbag social the same night he breaks things off with her.

They remain close friends for years to come.

 

Jac wasn’t a girl or a boy, and that was the first time Cisco realized that it wasn’t a requirement to be one or the other. He’d really loved Jac, maybe could’ve had a future with them, but school and family had gotten in the way and they’d drifted after a few months together.

 

Ethan Hall was the first boy he dated in college, but it was short lived. Ethan was everything wrong with wealthy, white gays. He’d misgendered Cisco’s friends on a regular basis, disregarded most of the things Cisco cared about, and, okay, the sex was good, but it wasn’t _that_ good.

 

Kirstin came into his life like a storm. She was wild and intense and adventurous in all the ways Cisco was not. She was in a committed relationship with another girl, Darla, when they’d started dating. Darla was cool and amazing too, and apparently ‘committed’ for Kristin and Darla meant that they could both date other people, as long as they still came home to each other. If it worked for them, it worked for Cisco.

 

Hartley was… Cisco tried not to think about Hartley. Hartley was the one Cisco had stupidly fallen for, let get under his skin. On the exterior, he’d been a jerk, but Cisco knew that was because of his rough history.

But excusing that behavior had been a mistake, because pursuing any kind of relationship with Hartley had been a trainwreck. Every time Cisco thought he’d gotten through to him, that he’d found the good person underneath, he’d turn around to find Hartley was still the same jerk he always was, playing Cisco to get what he wanted.

 

Barry was cute. That was the first thing Cisco had noticed when Wells had him brought to STAR Labs. The second thing? How does a coma patient manage to keep a set of abs?

Cute wasn’t everything though, and for all he knew, Barry Allen was a jerk. Really, the only things he knew were what he gathered from the West’s visits.

And, well, that was kind of sad, wasn’t it? Kid’s in a coma, and only three people ever visit, _ever_.

(Iris and Joe were some of the nicest people Cisco’s ever met, so he couldn’t really imagine how Barry could be anything else.)

 

Look at Barry was a little like looking into the sun – or watching lightning flash. He was mesmerizing. And it’s not because he’s got super powers or because he knows the Arrow and Supergirl. It’s because Barry Allen is the kindest, most selfless person he’s ever met. He sees the best in people – even Leonard Snart – almost to a fault.

 

Cisco had always been a tactile person. That was something he learned from Caitlin, who flinched every time he touched her. Her reactions made him hyperaware – he put a hand on Barry’s back as he walked behind him, brushes shoulders with whoever is next to him at the desk, grabbed Iris’ hands when she was about to touch one of his gadgets.

He’s careful not to touch Cait unless it can’t be avoided, but no one else seemed to notice or mind, so he doesn’t police himself everywhere.

Barry though, ran warmer than the average person, and with how fast he moved, Cisco wasn’t always sure he was actually there. So maybe he touches a little more, just to reassure himself that he was still there, still next to him.

 

Lisa Snart was… Well, she was technically a villain, a bad guy, the kind of person he was supposed to work against.

But she was also beautiful and looked at Cisco in a way that no one had really looked at him in a while. He wasn’t sure there was room in this universe for them to have any kind of real, meaningful relationship, but he can’t help that he liked her, that she made him smile.

She was a bad guy, but mostly he didn’t care.

 

Barry was maybe the best friend he ever had. They do damn near everything together – movies, dinner, save the city, get coffee, poke holes in the science of Star Trek. The list went on.

It was only a matter of time before Cisco fell too hard to get back up.

Damn, it had been a while since he’d fallen for a straight boy.

 

Only, then Barry was holding his hand, and smiling at him like it had all just clicked into place, and Cisco can’t help but smile back, even though he has no idea what’s going through Barry’s head.

 

“How long have you known you liked boys?” Cisco asked. It was an important question. He didn’t have the strength to date Barry if he was just figuring it out, or still in the questioning stage.

“Freshman year of college,” Barry said easily.

“Oh.” That’s good. Good. “And how long have you known you liked me?”

Barry blushed. “A while.”

Cisco smacked his arm, _hard_. “Why didn’t you say anything!?”

He knew why. It was the same reason Cisco never said anything. Fear. Crushing on your best friend was terrifying.

“Why didn’t you?” Barry asked back. Fair.

 

If Cisco was a tactile person, it was nothing compared to Barry once they started dating. Barry’s always pressed up next to him in the lab (until Cisco has to tell him that precise scientific efforts require space), and always sneaking kisses when he thinks no one is watching. They fall asleep next to each other on the couch, and Cisco wakes up trapped under him. When they climb into bed for the night, Barry wraps around him like an octopus – all arms and legs and not letting go.

Which was fine. Cisco loved cuddles. But also Barry gave off heat like a furnace, and has a tendency to oversleep, making Cisco late for…

Well, okay. It’s not like they have a boss to report to, and waking up under Barry is maybe one of his favorite things. And he was always a little cuter in the mornings – bedhead and sleepy-faced were good looks on Barry.

 

“Hey, Barry?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want you to ever feel pressured into having sex,” Cisco said.

Barry frowned. “Where is this coming from?”

Cisco shrugged his shoulders. “I know you’re not as interested in it as I am. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do something you don’t want to because of me.”

Barry shook his head and kissed Cisco all over. “I appreciate that. I don’t mind having sex with you though. I like it, even.”

“Buuut?” Cisco prompted.

“I’m not down for everything, and sometimes I might not be down for anything. If there’s ever something I can’t give you, we can talk about alternatives.”

 

Stella and her partner Zo were in town for a few days, and Cisco spent most of that time getting anxious about introducing Barry to them.

It’s been years since Cisco had seen Stella in person, and he’s never actually met Zo, only heard about them in texts from Stella.

If Cisco’s being completely honest, most of his anxiety is because he has no idea how Barry will take the whole bigender thing. They’ve never talked about gender identity, it’s never come up, but there were plenty of people, even people in the queer community, who were jerks about the T in LGBT.

 

But Barry _wasn’t_ a jerk. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, and when Cisco brought up dinner with his ex and her partner, Barry was his usual cool – which was to say, ridiculously awkward about meeting new people. But Zo’s gender expression didn’t seem to faze him; he was just worried they wouldn’t like him.

“Everyone likes you Barry,” Cisco said, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Barry’s cheek.

 

Dinner was awkward for all of eighteen seconds. Cisco and Stella hadn’t seen each other in so long, but he hugged her anyway, and when they’re going around making introductions and shaking hands.

“I know we don’t actually know each other, but can I hug you too?” Cisco asked, holding out his arms to Zo, who grinned and nodded, giving him a bear hug.

After that, it was easy. They all got along pretty well, which was all that Cisco could’ve hoped for. Barry had two foot-in-mouth moments, but both where of the adorable, almost-outed-himself-as-the-Flash variety and not genuinely cringe-inducing.

 

Cisco was half a step into the Cortex before he realized that Barry and Zo were already there, and that he was about to interrupt their conversation. He stopped and quietly backed out. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, except—

He’s totally eavesdropping.

“It’s fine,” Zo said, answering a question Cisco must’ve missed. “People always have questions. They think it’s weird, don’t understand. I’m used to it.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Barry said. “I _envy_ you.”

“Oh?”

“You know who you are. How did you… how did you know?”

“It wasn’t like I just woke up one day and suddenly knew I was destined to be genderqueer. But _girl_ never really felt right. _Boy_ didn’t either, which made things more complicated. Especially trying to navigate the trans community; people still kind of expect you to be one or the other. It’s easier now, I think. People are more open to other options.”

Barry made a humming sound.

“What’s on your mind?” Zo asked.

“I think I’m just still trying to figure myself out.”

 

Lisa rolled back into town, disrupting literally everything in her path.

She practically kidnapped Cisco and brought him out for drinks, ranting for over an hour about her brother and Mick running off to be _heroes_ and leaving her behind.

“Legends, not heroes,” Cisco said. No one in their right mind called Mick Rory and Leonard Snart _heroes_. Maybe Lisa wasn’t in her right mind, but his point still stood.

“ _Whatever_. I’m bored. Do you know how hard it is to find a good crew around here? Next to impossible. There’s a reason we always worked together. And now they’ve left me behind. Jerks.”

“Maybe you should try doing something else then,” Cisco suggested. “Get a job, or something.”

Lisa looked downright appalled at the though.

“Or not. You could…” he thought for a moment, but could really only think of one thing for her to do, and the only reason she would ever go for it was to spite her brother. He laughed to himself. “Be a hero.”

She gasped. “Take that back!”

“Hey, all the cool kids are doing it.”

“You really think I could?” she asked after a while.

He shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Your brother and Rory aren’t exactly heroes, but they are doing good. So could you.”

“Hmm.” She turned to study his expression for a moment. “Thanks Cisco.” She leaned forward and kissed him.

For a moment, he kissed back… then pulled away, surprising her. “I’m kind of seeing someone,” he said.

“Kind of?” she asked.

“ _Am_ seeing someone. It’s serious.”

“Good for you,” she said, but her smile had lost its shine.

 

“There’s an active shooter on 17th and Royce,” Cisco said, scanning the alerts going off on his computer screen. “And a jumper on the Roosevelt Bridge. I don’t think you can make it to both in time.”

“Gotta try,” Barry said over the sound of wind rushing around him.

He takes down the shooter in no time, but when he gets to the Roosevelt Bridge, the jumper was already subdued, his feet incased in solid gold.

Cisco couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face.

 

Cisco opened his mouth to pose a question no less than seven times to no avail. He can’t figure out what to say.

“What is it, Cisco?” Barry asked finally. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”

“Oh. Sorry. It’s nothing. Doesn’t matter.”

“Obviously it does.”

“You know I love you, right?”

Barry smiled. “I love you too, Cisco.”

“Really?” Now he felt bad. Why was this so hard?

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want you to be upset,” Cisco said.

“I won’t be.”

“You might be.”

“I will be if you don’t say whatever it is you’re thinking.”

“Remember when you said we could talk about… alternatives?”

Barry sat down across from him, taking one of Cisco’s hands. “Yes.”

“Well it’s not… it’s not like I’m unhappy, or that anything is missing. I love you, and I love being with you. But I also might be having feelings for someone else too.”

“Okay.”

“And that doesn’t mean I love you any less, or that I don’t want to be with you, because I do.”

“I understand.”

“But I also might want to… pursue those other feelings. If that’s okay. Or at least, talk about it.”

Barry gave him a somewhat amused smile. “We are talking about it. And it is okay.”

“It is?”

Barry nodded. “We can try it out. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll know. And if it does work…” He shrugged. “Then that’s even better, right?”

Cisco kissed him enthusiastically. “Have I ever told you that you are the world’s best boyfriend?”

“Maybe once or twice. I’m afraid I have to disagree though.”

“Oh?”

“ _You’re_ the best.”

Cisco kissed him again.

“Just one question,” Barry said. “Is this because Golden Glider is back in town?”

 

Cisco didn’t know how her number ended up in his phone, but there it is, right next to her smiling, glittering picture.

 _Meet  me at Jitters?_ he sent.

_When?_

 

“I thought you were seeing someone,” she said. “You said it was serious.”

“I am, and it is. But I talked to him about it, and, well. If you’re interested, I thought we could try this. Dating, I mean. You and me.”

She frowned, then shook her head. “I don’t date cheaters. You’re not the person I thought you were.” She got up from her seat and turned to leave.

“It’s not cheating,” Barry said, turning from the table behind Cisco.

“Who are you?” she asked, searching his face for something familiar.

“The boyfriend,” he said, moving to sit at their table. “Barry Allen,” he added, reaching across to shake her hand. “We’re all adults, and I don’t have any problem with Cisco dating you. So unless you have some other problem…” he said pointedly.

She laughed. Actually laughed. “Wow, no, that is definitely not a problem for me. There is maybe something about me you should know, though, if you’re serious.”

“We know,” Cisco said. “Expert hacker. I’ve seen your birth certificate. Frankly I don’t really care what’s in your pants, or what mistaken identity you lived under as a child. I like _you_.”

Lisa smiled. “You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”

Barry and Cisco’s phones buzzed simultaneously.

“Breacher. We have to go,” Barry whispered to Cisco, taking a quick look around Jitters. They were completely alone, aside from the barista who had just gone into the back. He looked at Lisa and smiled. “Your move, Golden Glider,” he said, then sped away with Cisco, leaving Lisa opened-mouthed in surprised.

**Author's Note:**

> I keep trying to write Cisco/Lisa in this universe, and I keep not quite getting there. I promise, soon.


End file.
